Ever the borrower, Genghis had co-opted a scholar in China to advise
him on building a government. Uygurs were recruited as accountants and
scribes. Soon a school was turning out Mongol administrators, who
swelled the small bureaucracy of tax collectors and record keepers.
Meanwhile, Genghis was troubled by events in Kara-Khitai, at Mongo
lia's western edge.
Kuchlug, a renegade
.
.-
Z
prince of the Naiman,
the formidable tribe that
Genghis had defeated in
Mongolia, had seized
power in that kingdom.
And Kuchlug was gath
ering other allies. Did he
plan to attack Genghis?
Jebe attacked in 1218
with 20,000 horsemen.
Most of the people of
Kara-Khitai were Mus
lims. Kuchlug had for
bidden them to worship
and had even crucified
an imam. So when Jebe
appeared at the walls of
Kashgar, where Kuch
lug was sojourning,
there was rejoicing
a rare reception for
the dreaded Mongols.
Kuchlug was beheaded,
and Genghis took the
friendly people of Kara
Khitai under his wing.
Now that his realm
touched the Khwarizm
empire, Genghis sent an
array of gifts to Shah
Muhammad at Samar
kand: jade, ivory, gold,
cloaks of white camel
PAINTINGFROM14TH-CENTURYPERSIANMANUSCRIPT,INDIA OFFICELIBRARY, BRITISH LIBRARY
wool. Genghis also proposed trade and sent out a caravan of 450 mer
chants. They only reached Utrar at the eastern edge of Muhammad's
realm, where the governor, suspecting that they were spies (some proba
bly were) seized and executed them. Juvaini says Muhammad approved
this. In any case, he soon made a worse mistake.
When Genghis sent an ambassador to demand that the shah hand over
Utrar's governor for punishment, Muhammad killed the envoy and sent
his head to Genghis. "The Mongols believed in the absolute inviolability
of ambassadors," Morris Rossabi points out. "To harm them was a hei
nous crime." Hence the terrible Mongol campaign in Central Asia was
punitive-with, we can assume, the added incentive of great booty.
No doubt Muhammad felt secure. His army, it is said, numbered
400,000, but many were of uncertain loyalty. Nor did Muhammad enjoy
the fealty of his heavily taxed subjects. Again it was a crippled regime
that braced for a Mongol onslaught.
Genghis Khan